Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-12-09
Facts and Fancies for the
Amusement Of the
Little Ones.
DINNER At CHRIST'S HOSPITAL.
An Entertaining Article Concerning Ants
and the Friendship That Exists
Among Them.
Dinner at Chrtsts Hospital.


The boys all cat together in large
hall This hall is in the building which
YOU see when you look through the
ratings on Newgate street 1t is very
large, as indeed it has need to be, for
there are over 700 boys at the tables.
1t has high-pointed windows, and at
one end is an organ, and at one side a
carved pulpit, where "Grecian," Oh
senior scholar, stands at the beginning
of each meal and says grace. Every
Thursday in Lent there is "sup-
ping public" when visitors come and
watch the "Blues" as they eat their
supper. The Lord Mayor, the Treas
urer, or the Governors preside. When
supper is over, the boys sing an anthem
and walking two by two, pass in front
OF the principal guests, to whom they
bow. The ceremony is called Glowing
round"
At one time swarms of rats used to
come to the hall and have their supper
in it after the boys had gone to bed.
They sometimes were seen running
along the top of the picture-frames,
and the "Blues" used to catch them
with their hands. They thought it
would show want of pluck to lay traps
tor them.
The boys wait on themselves ut table.
Some lay the CLOTH others bring the
salt, still others pass the bread, and, in
q word, each has his special charge.
These charges are known as the
trade, and the boys are called bread
boys, water-boys, potato-boys, and so
on, according to their duties 1t is one
of the great sights of the hospital to
see them preparing for dinner. About
] o'clock the trades-boys leave the
Fairgrounds, for the dining-hall. Many
of them come in such hurry that
their faces are red and warm with run
ming; their skirts are still tucked up in
their girdles; and .helr pockets, stuffed
with balls and other treasures, hang
heavily down behind.
The cloth-boys begin work. and very
awkward they are about it sometimes.
1 once saw one little fellow who, in
his efforts to place the cloth straight,
walked right up the middle of the table
on the cloth itself, giving it little pokes
into the right direction with the tip of
his boot. Then the mug-boys, mus
tard-boys, peeper-boys, salt-boys, bear
ing the articles of their trades in big
baskets, follow and set the tables.
This done, they go below to the hall
quadrangle, where all the other "Blues"
are assembled. The bell rings. The
warden, who is the chief superintend-
ent of the boys when they are not i'll
school, comes in to preside. The boys
fall into rank, according to their wards,
each detachment headed by one Of the
number bearing colo.ed flag. The
bugle sounds. The sergeant, OF drill.
master, calls out his orders. the princi-
pal Of which is Glands out of your
pockets!" Then the hospital band
strikes up march and the $50 boys
march in to dinner. When they reach
the cloisters, certain of the trades-boys
leave the ranks and go down to the
kitchen. There, under the superin-
tendence Of the cook, they take the
dishes of meat, buckets OF potatoes and
baskets of bread, that have been pre-
pared, and carry them upstairs.
When the boys are all in the hall,
there is an interval of silence. The
"Grecian" says grace, and then follows
such a ckattering and Gathering as l
am sure was never heard anywhere
else. A matron, at the head Of each
table, carves for the boys Of her ward,
and the monitors and beadles keep
order. think of all the trades-boys,
the water-boys have the hardest time.
For often they have to fill their cans
two or three times during the course OF
dinner, and to do this they must walk
downstairs, through the cloisters and
halfway to the Newgate Street en-
trance. Elizabeth Robins Pe1eneA, an
81. Nicholas.
---------- .
E..oD